Bibi’s right wins Israel

After trailing in the polls leading up to Tuesday’s Israeli election, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party defied those projections with a sweeping victory over the Zionist Union party, according to official results released Wednesday. Netanyahu is in strong position to extend his current six-year run as prime minister.

Likud won 30 Knesset seats, a comfortable margin over the 24 seats for Isaac Herzog’s Zionist Union party. Totals for the rest of Israel’s parties were as follows: 14 seats for the Joint Arab List, 11 for Yesh Atid, 10 for Kulanu, eight for Jewish Home, seven for Shas, six for United Torah Judaism, six for Yisrael Beiteinu, and four for Meretz.

Israelis cast votes for entire parties, not for specific candidates. The president (currently Reuven Rivlin) usually gives the leader of the party that won the most Knesset seats the opportunity to form a governing coalition with other parties. To create a government, that leader’s coalition must consist of at least 61 of the 120 Knesset seats.

The Jewish Home, Shas, United Torah Juda-ism, and Yisrael Beiteinu parties are seen as likely coalition partners for Likud, while Kulanu leader Moshe Kahlon has been perceived as a “kingmaker” in the coalition-building process because it is uncertain if his centrist party will support the right-wing Likud or the left-wing Zionist Union. With Kulanu in the fold, a Likud-led coalition would have 67 Knesset seats.

“Against all odds: a great victory for the Likud. A major victory for the people of Israel!” Netanyahu tweeted after Tuesday’s television exit polls were released. The final results were even more favorable for Netanyahu than the exit polls, which had projected either 27 of 28 Knesset seats for Likud and 27 for Zionist Union.

The latest pre-election surveys had predicted that Zionist Union would outperform Likud, likely based on voters’ prioritization of socioeconomic issues. Likud’s apparent victory, however, might affirm that Israeli voters still place a high priority on security.